Because of the pandemic, college football has been forced to ease into the 2020 season. Some FCS programs got underway earlier this month, and smaller FBS schools, along with the ACC, Big 12, and AAC, have followed suit. But on Saturday, the SEC returns to the field for the first time and whoo boy this conference is stacked with NFL talent. Not surprisingly, it starts with Alabama, Georgia, Florida and LSU, but you can find talent on every team. Who are the names to know for the upcoming season? Let's get to it. Alabama DeVonta Smith played alongside two first-round wideouts last season in and , and he caught pa ses from another first-rounder, . And while we spent much of the spring talking up just how good Ruggs and Jeudy were going to be in the , it was Smith who led the 2019 Crimson Tide in receiving yards (1,203), touchdowns (13) and yards per catch (18.80). And he's set to be the next Alabama pa s catcher to go in Round 1 Aqib Talib Jersey . He dropped just one catchable target last season, according to Pro Football Focus, as the most polished receiver on the roster. Smith does everything at a high level, from getting off the line of scrimmage, to his route running to his ability to catch the football. First highlight of many is our boy Devonta Smith vs the national champs LSU. Smith had a hay day against the so called best CB in college football (Stingley). Bama fans, Smitty is back another whole year! Mason (@BamaBunker) The one knock against Smith, however, is his slight frame -- it's part of the reason he returned to Alabama for 2020. He's also not as freakishly athletic as Ruggs or current teammate Jaylen Waddle but neither is Jeudy and he's already flashed for the . We're not worried about Smith at the next level, especially if he can add 10 pounds.MORE TO WATCH: Get comfortable because there are a lot of names, starting with the aforementioned Waddle, who is a once-every-decade type athlete unle s, of course, you're at Alabama. He scored six touchdowns on just 32 receptions last season and he's also a threat in the return game. Cornerback Patrick Surtain was the best defensive back on the team last season and that included second-rounders and , and he's currently our No. 1 CB in the '20 cla s. And linebacker Dylan Moses would've been a first-round pick last spring had he not suffered a torn ACL in August 2019. He returns and he could be a top-15 pick with a solid season. Christian Barmore and LaBryan Ray are next men up along the defensive line and both look poised for breakout seasons. On the other side of the ball, left tackle Alex Leatherwood returns for his senior season and has flashed first-round skills, as has guard Deonte Brown. They're responsible for blowing open holes for Sam Shields Jersey running back , who runs angry but has also shown he can be nimble with the ball in his hands. LSU Unfortunately, we won't get to see wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, who has opted out of the 2020 season. He's not only the best wideout in this draft cla s, he likely would've been tops in the last cla s, too, had he been eligible. So what makes Chase so special? For starters: pound for pound, he's one of the strongest wide receivers in recent memory, excelling at contested catches that often then involve dragging defenders downfield as they try to gang-tackle him. He's listed Sammy Watkins Jersey at 6-feet, 208 pounds so it's not like he towers over defensive backs -- even though he plays like he's four inches taller and 20 pounds lighter. WR JaMarr Chase is so dominant at the catch point, but an underrated factor about his game is his catch and run ability. Great finisher. Jordan Reid (@JReidNFL) Chase broke 31 percent of tackles last season, according to Sports Info Solutions, which was No. 2 among all FBS wideouts behind only University of Tenne see's Jauan Johnson (who was a seventh-round pick of the in May). But that strength isn't just with the ball in the air; Chase, who saw plenty of pre s-man coverage, consistently won at the line of scrimmage, man-handling cornerbacks as he got into his routes. He stood out on an LSU team that was littered with first-rounders and set all sorts of offensive records on the way to a perfect season. Given his mental toughne s and his physical dominance there's no reason to believe Chase won't have similar succe s in the NFL. MORE TO WATCH: We don't there will be any Joe Burrow-type catapulting up the draft board this season but there are plenty of players to watch on this roster. Terrace Marshall and Racey McMath return as the leading receivers after Jamon Brown Jersey Chase, and -- two first-round picks and one who will hear his name called in Round 1 in the spring.Defensive tackle Tyler Shelvin and safety Kay Vincent Jr. have, like Chase, opted out of the season, and both have a chance to be Day 2 picks. Meanwhile, linebacker Jabril Cox might be the most interesting name to watch. He transferred from North Dakota State where he dominated. Will that athleticism transfer to the SEC? There's plenty of reasons to think it will, and if so, he'll find himself moving up draft boards in the coming weeks and months. Georgia Newman transferred from Wake Forest to Georgia in the spring and perhaps no other player would have had an opportunity to prove their worth in 2020. The Bulldogs lost to the NFL where he was taken in the fifth round by the . Newman, meanwhile, arrived from an offense that featured slow mesh RPO concepts, and worked in part because he's an athletic marvel. He's also short on experience, something he certainly could've used for the Bulldogs. But Newman opted out, which means all the questions about the breadth of his game remain. Newman has a big arm, but accuracy was an i sue at times at Wake Forest. And perhaps more than any of the top quarterbacks in this cla s, he needs to get better at going through his progre sions, improving his touch on downfield throws and avoiding forcing balls into nonexistent windows that at times led to interceptions last season. Newman has drawn comparisons to but right now, for us, , who came into the 2019 campaign with plenty of questions, is a better quarterback comparison. The difference: Hurts balled out at Oklahoma after transferring from Alabama. Newman's next chance to compete could be the Senior Bowl. MORE TO WATCH: The Bulldogs secondary is one of the best in the conference. Richard LeCounte III is a rangy safety who explodes downhill in the run game. Eric Stokes is the most experienced of the cornerbacks and while he doesn't have an interception he did have 18 PBUs last season. Perhaps the most intriguing player in this secondary is cornerback Tyson Campbell. He's long, athletic and looks like an NFL DB. He needs to gain some weight -- and experience -- but a good season could land him in Round 1. Florida Quarterback Kyle Trask, who only took over the starting job in 2019 after Feleipe Franks suffered Lance Dunbar Jersey an injury (Franks has since transferred to Arkansas), showed the type of...

Sixty-two. Any conversation about the 2018 offense has to start there, with that number. In 16 games, it's how many times franchise quarterback was sacked. Once more for effect: 62. It started early -- Watson went down three times against the in the season-opening lo s -- and somehow got worse. There were the seven sacks against the in Week 4 and seven more two weeks later against the . There was also the six-game stretch to end the season in which Watson was sacked 29 times and four times each game. By comparison, the ' , another first-round pick in the 2017 cla s, and the 2018 MVP, went down just 26 times over 16 games. led all 16-game Randy Bullock Jersey starters with just 18 sacks. Rock bottom came in the aftermath of that Bills game. Watson, reportedly dealing with a , couldn't fly with his teammates to Jacksonville for the Week 7 game. Instead, because the team was concerned the air pre sure at altitude could have an effect on his injuries. The Texans cruised to a 20-7 victory, Watson threw a touchdown pa s, and more importantly, he was sacked just once. ''I give credit to Deshaun because I think he is a very tough individual,'' coach Bill O'Brien said after the game. ''He has sacrificed a lot over the last couple of weeks to put himself in a position to play. Great teammate. Loves to win. Loves to play. And I think the world of the guy.'' Some six months later, O'Brien proved just how much he thought of Watson; the Texans drafted offensive tackle in Round 1 and circled back in Round 2 to take another offensive tackle, . There's still much to sort out. First, ? Howard played both left and right tackle at Alabama State and Scharping was a left tackle at Northern Illinois. "I would say that both of those guys, Tytus Howard and -- now, Tytus will play a lot of left tackle, play a lot of right tackle, but he can play guard, too," O'Brien said last month during rookie minicamp. "Scharping can do both, too. So, both Clayton Fejedelem Jersey guys are very smart guys. In the brief time that we've them, they've picked up a lot of what we're trying to do. Really sharp guys, good guys, and we're thrilled to have them. I mean, absolutely thrilled to have them." There's also this, which may not immediately a suage concerns about keeping Watson upright: both players are from small schools and the learning curve could be steep as they transition from college to the . This hasn't been lost on O'Brien. "When you watch , especially like, let's just say at the offensive tackle position, there's not a whole lot of (J.J.) Watts and (Jadeveon) Clowneys rushing off of the edge in college football," the coach said. "Now, there are with a couple of teams, but not many. You're talking about these guys really getting used to the technique and the speed and the strength of the game, because that's a huge adjustment when you jump to this league. Then, on the inside, it's the same thing. Strength and speed, and then making sure that they understand the information so they can learn and get out there and play." It's hard to imagine Adam Jones Jersey both rookies find their way into the starting lineup immediately, mostly for the reasons O'Brien outlined above. But it's also impo sible to overstate ; according to Football Outsiders, Houston's offensive line ranked 27th in run blocking in 2018 and dead least in pa s protection. Part of that was because of injury -- right tackle was lost for the year after suffering a Week 1 ankle injury -- though most of it was due to a lot of mediocre football. But the Texans could have as many as four new faces on the offensive line in '19. Center , who graded out as the 21st best center last season, remains the starter. After that, jobs are open. As the Texans begin mandatory workouts, Henderson will face competition from Howard, and Scharping and Matinas Rankin, a 2018 third-rounder, could push for time at one of the guard positions. Left tackle Julin Davenport, who started 15 games last season ranked 73rd among all tackles, via PFF. It's why the Texans signed , the former first-round pick who mi sed last season in Carolina because of a knee injury. He'll have an opportunity to win the job when he's fully healthy. But will it be enough? On draft night it sure Jordan Willis Jersey felt like the Texans overcompensated by drafting Howard 23rd overall, one pick after the took Washington State left tackle Andre Dilliard, who by most accounts was a first-round talent. While there was plenty of pre-draft buzz about Howard, his small-school pedigree and raw ability made him a Day 2 pick in our mind. That reality, coupled with the glaring i sues along Houston's O-line a season ago is why there has been speculation that the team should trade for left tackle , to never play for Washington again -- especially since the Texans , which is second behind only the Colts. 's Aaron Rei s that a Williams trade was a long shot because it would run counter to general manager Brian Gaine's offseason philosophy, when he didn't pursue or trade up for Dilliard. The Texans a short time later and whomever a sumes the job may feel differently about Houston's offensive line and Williams' po sible place in it. As it stands Jeremy Hill Jersey , the Texans' front five aren't much better than the group that allowed Watson to be sacked 62 times last season, even with the addition of Howard and Scharping, two high-upside prospects from small schools who likely won't be ready for the starting lineup anytime soon. The good news is that Houston went 11-5 and won the division last year despite the offensive line. The bad news is that all changes if Watson gets injured. Put another way: is one play away from becoming the Texans' starting quarterback....

The will be without for the second consecutive week as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury suffered during the shootout with the in Week 8, per ESPN's Josina Anderson. Thomas sat out against the last week, and the shortened week will prohibit him from taking the field again. Earl Thomas Jake Fisher Jersey is not playing tonight. After hamstring injury v. it'd bn decided he'd mi s at least 2G w/ quick turnaround of TNF tonight! Josina Anderson (@JosinaAnderson) The lo s is, as always, a blow to Vontaze Burfict Jersey a tremendously talented Seahawks defense. Thomas is one of the best ball-hawking safeties in the , and coming off of a tough lo s to the Redskins his presence would have gone a long way for the defense. However, with an Alex Redmond Jersey extended week heading into Week 11, Thomas will hopefully be ready to go against the next Monday night.Thomas' production will be impo sible to replicate, of course. His 38 tackles and two interceptions (one for a touchdown against the Texans) are overshadowed by his mere presence, but the Seahawks have a good backup that minimizes the damage of losing a defensive star. , who has seen some time Randy Bullock Jersey already this year, will fill in for Thomas again. McDougald has been serviceable to this point, and although he's no Billy Price Jersey Thomas, he's a terrific player. The Seahawks remain a game back of the in the NFC West, and will look to gain ground tonight. Although Thomas will mi s this game, he should be back on for a late-season push as the Seahawks try to dethrone the surprising Rams from the top of the division....

The have released veteran safety after three seasons with the team. The move was expected after the team announced a three-year extension for safety Tuesday. The AFC North champions also signed safety last offseason. Jefferson had mi sed just three games over the course of seven seasons before suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 5 against Pittsburgh, which caused him to mi Dana Barros Jersey s nine games. Before the injury, the former undrafted free agent was on pace to eclipse 500 career tackles. He has also contributed 8.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, four interceptions and one touchdown over the course of his career.Head coach John Harbaugh did not understate the value of Jefferson at the time of his injury."Tony Jefferson, obviously, is the heart and soul of us. He's a leader. He's a great player, just a high-energy player." As it turned out, the defense grew stronger and rallied around cornerback , Tiago Splitter Jersey who was acquired before the league's trade deadline. The Ravens would advance to the as the AFC's No. 1 overall seed before falling to the in the divisional round.On Friday, Harbaugh shared his respect for the safety."Tony is a tremendous leader, a true competitor, Charles Barkley Jersey a team player and a family man. His time here has been a ble sing. We have the utmost respect for his profe sionalism and positive contributions to our team and the Baltimore community. We wish he and his family the best going forward," Harbaugh said in a pre s release.Executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta noted that 'this is the worst part of the busine s.' "Tony is the consummate teammate and someone who is respected by everyone for his leadership, determination, humility and toughne s. He's a friend to all and a true Raven. We know he's going to beat this injury, and we will be cheering for him all along the way. We wish the very best to Tony and his family."Jefferson was signed to a four-year deal worth $34 million in March of 2017. The contract had been re-structured each of the past two offseasons. The Allen Iverson Jersey 28-year-old was due to make $11,656,668 in 2020, . A dead cap hit of $4,166,668 will remain on the team's books but the move will save them approximately $7.5 million.Baltimore ranks in the bottom Jerryd Bayless Jersey half of the league in regards to salary cap space this offseason. Their notable pending free agents include defensive tackle , inside linebacker and outside linebacker . DeCosta replaced Ozzie Newsome at the beginning of the 2019 season. The long-time talent evaluator enters his first offseason in charge of the roster with the intent of pushing the franchise towards their first playoff victory since 2014....